Photo by Special to the News Sentinel
Tennessee wide receiver Larry Seivers, left, is greeted in the end zone by a pair of zealous fans as well as a cigar-smoking, briefcase-toting Gus Manning after catching a two-point conversion pass from Condredge Holloway against Clemson in 1974 at Neyland Stadium to help the Vols down the Tigers, 29-28.
There are memories of a number of great moments scattered across the greensward of Shields-Watkins Field.
When Tennessee played its first football game in 1891 against Sewanee, no one could have possibly imagined how the program would develop, what an influence it would have across the state of Tennessee and beyond. For his part, John Ward once said, “I didn’t do the broadcast. Maybe Lindsey Nelson did.”
There were the tentative steps to maturity, marked by coaches coming and going (some for just a year or two), with J.A. Pierce being first in 1899. The Vols’ program finally found a 3,200-seat home on campus in 1921, with seats on the west side only. The orange jerseys came a year later. You look at pictures of those early games and see solemn-looking men in suits and those stovepipe hats. Precious few women attended. There didn’t appear to be a spot of orange to be seen in the stands.
It’s been amazing to the see how things have worked out over the years. The stadium has grown from that modest grandstand into a 102,038-seat structure that fills to the brim each home Saturday. The stadium stands in testimony to all those uncounted Tennessee people, who have been a part of building the legend known as Vol football.
These “people” and “events” of Tennessee football are special. In the mind’s eye, you can almost see Deanie Hoskins or Bob Campbell carefully overseeing the turf, Johnny Butler motoring way southward against Alabama in 1939, the spots where a multitude of big plays have happened, Gen. Bob Neyland in his double-breasted suit standing stoically on the east side, right near the 50, substitutes at the ready.
If you look closely at the southeast corner of the field, you can visualize a celebration featuring Larry Seivers and Gus Manning after Seivers caught the game-winning two-point conversion against Clemson in 1974. Manning is there with cigar and briefcase.
At the northeast corner, there’s the spot three Vols (Bill Majors, Wayne Grubb, and Charley Severance) stopped LSU’s Billy Cannon short of the goal on a fourth-quarter two-point try Nov. 7, 1959. Cannon said after the game he made it. Ask Severance about it today and he’ll politely (and proudly) disagree.
There’s also the southeast 43-yard line, where the Vols got a second chance against Arkansas in the 1998 game, the famed “Stoerner Stumble,” and made the most of it, all the way to a national championship. There’s a short video of this play on the Internet (www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_U6yNYEAQo) that is still fun to watch.
Things looked bleak for the Vols, with a crestfallen Cosey Coleman shown on the sideline. Here’s how CBS reported it. “There’s 1:47 remaining. One time out left, 12 to go for the first down. Stoerner … lost the football. Oh my goodness! He stumbled and fumbled, and Billy Ratliff recovered.”
During the summer, the stadium is usually quiet, save for normal refurbishing and maintenance, not to mention expansions of the seating area or ancillary facilities.
Even with these additions to the house that Neyland (and many others) have built, the stadium is no less imposing and no less of a testimony to Tennessee football. It’s just a special place, something to be revered.
The off-season between the 1993 and 1994 seasons was a memorable few months, when natural grass finally came back to the floor of Shields-Watkins Field after a hiatus since the final gun of the 1967 Vanderbilt game. Tennessee fans came in droves from Knoxville and beyond to Gate 7 at the south end and asked Campbell or one of his aides to let them see the field, to literally let them watch the grass grow.
There was the aftermath of the 1998 win over Florida and the spirited celebration that followed, as Vol fans went “bee-serk,” in Ward’s parlance. It resulted in large chunks of turf being excised from the field, enraging the football purists.
The next week, I ever so gently chided Vol fans in a “Last Word” column for Volunteers Magazine for tearing up their own field, the greensward where so many great moments in Tennessee history had been played out, where so many memories seemed to linger.
To my mind, fans of other schools may attack the things they hold most dear, as thousands of Georgians did after the 2000 Tennessee game, when the supposedly sacred hedges surrounding the field came tumbling down at Sanford Stadium, much like the famed walls of Jericho.
In both cases, it was a surreal sight, almost like an out-of-body experience. Those who love the Tennessee program and faithfully follow the fortunes of the Vols should know better. Most do.
“This field belongs to everybody,” Campbell said. “It’s a special place. I’ve taken stewardship of it for this moment in time.”
If someone tells you a football field is only a field, devoid of memories, don’t believe a word of it.
Tom Mattingly is the author of “Tennessee Football: The Peyton Manning Years” (1998). He saw celebrations on the field up close and personal after the 1998 Florida and the 2000 Georgia games. He may be reached at tjmshm@comcast.net. His News Sentinel blog at govolsxtra.com is called The Vol Historian.
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Comments » 36
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
What happened to cause the loss of the name "The Snake Pit" which Shields-Watkins was called for years? It ended sometime between 1971 and 1984.
The "Stoerner Stumble' was really a Billy Ratliff Rumble. Billy knocked the Hogs All American guard into Stoerner and caused him to lose the ball. This is one instance in which the VOLS were able to circumvent a set-up by the sec to cause them to lose the game. A couple of series earlier, the hog punter fumbled the snap, chased it down and kicked it through the end zone, a
play that should have given us the ball on the hog 4-yard line. Instead, the sec gave us a safety. (The following year, the same crew failed to call the very obvious hold on Cedric Wilson in the hog end zone as a make up to the hogs for Billy's great play).
In February 1960, Billy Cannon was given an award by The Nashville Banner. In his acceptance speech, he said, "I don't understand Tennesseans. You fly me 500 miles to Nashville in February to accept an award, but last November in Knoxville, you wouldn't let me run 2 yards."
FishTacos writes:
Why is Billy Cannon not in the College Football Hall of Fame?? It's about time to put that guy in the Hall.
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
Florida called and said they would like to rename the field "Spurrier Field" considering he has a winning record on it and all.
kaplan#211944 writes:
Billy Cannon was elected Thursday.
CoverOrange writes:
The first game I ever went to was 1972 against Vandy. Got to watch Eddie Brown return one all the way for a TD. I have never heard the term "Snake Pit" in reference to Shields Watkins.
When I was a resident in East Stadium I climbed the fences a few times in the night just to sit in the stands and hear the stadium creak and reimagine the games I had seen there.
Believe it or not, Fulmer has a winning record there too.
CoverOrange writes:
Oh, BTW, Kaplan, I'm guessing those two "zealous fans" in the picture were ball boys. I guess they could be both.
FWBVol writes:
Larry Seivers is the one that belongs in the College Football Hall of Fame. A two-time AA, the career receiving leader when he graduated, and maybe the best hands to ever play the position for the Vols.
The funny thing is, as good as he was in his day, he might not even be able to get on the field against today's athletes. But in his day, he was the man.
kaplan#211944 writes:
Team managers according to someone who has worked here 50 years.
mattingly writes:
"Ball boys" may be a bit of a stretch since they are older than Seivers and younger than Gus. Actually the Brown punt return took place in 1973 at Neyland Stadium. 1972 game was in Nashville. Larry Seivers could catch anything he could touch. There is no evidence the stadium was ever officially called the "Snake Pit."
utstudent86 writes:
its pretty crazy what people will do over a field...last semester myself and three of my buddies managed to make it to the fifty yard line for about a minute before the cops showed up!! Quite a memorabe three in the morning experience!! Still glad i can climb the fence faster than my friend, his police record makes the event not quite as memorable for him!!
Volfan1 writes:
First game there was as a nine year old. Came with Dad to see UT vs. Ga. Tech. Horseshoe shaped stadium with bleachers on the other end. Only upper deck was on the press box side.
I saw Larry Seivers make a miracle catch against Auburn in '75 between two or three Auburn players and scored a TD.
Also saw Eddie Brown run back a punt against Georgia...a thing of beauty! Only problem was that was our "fake punt" game we lost that was the beginning of the end for Battle.
Volfan1 writes:
Oh, last fall after the Arkansas game, we went by the stadium late after the game. The entrance was open all the way to the field where the visitors come in.
My son & I walked out to the 50 yard line, took pictures on the "T" and in the checkerboard.
No one said anything. We were lucky. And made a great memory on the field.
Man, when you are on the field looking up, that is one big place...and should intimidate the visitors.
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
First Game I ever saw at Neyland was in 1965, I ws six years old. My Dad took me, and he left for Vietnam two days later.
Next game was in 1966, My Dad took me, he had got back from Vietnam four days before the game. Vols won both games, and I still believe they won them for my Daddy.
My SOn and I went to the Georgia game last year, and the next week he left for his third tour in Iraq.
This year Dad and I will go to the Mississippi State game, and my Son will be back home in time for the Bama game, and all three of us will go.
drakosben1#216420 writes:
These are the things Vol fans want to here, not things from people like J.Adams, who a lot of times have opinions, but no role to play. Much like politicians and people who just want to be heard.
andefromtn#212139 writes:
My dad helped lay and seamed every artificial turf that went down on Shield-Watkins. He worked on Tom Black track and the basketball court inside Stokely as well. He would come home tired and full of stories of coaches, and players he met. I remember going over there and being amazing how large the stadium was as a small 6 old kid. It was huge to me. I got to see my first game as a result of comp tickets he received from Gus Manning for his work. I've had the honor of watching many games live inside the stadium and enjoyed each one, both the wins and losses. But my greatest memories came when I marched on it as a band member. I was not only marching where my favorite team played but I was marching on my father's hard work. There are many kinds of memories from Shield-Watkins field inside Neyland Stadium.
richvol writes:
The war brought my parents to Oak Ridge,where they married,and after the war their first home was on the old Temple Avenue which is now Volunteer Blvd. Some of the Frat houses were next to their home and when I was born and grew old enough to play outside I was naturally attracted to all the activity at these social institutions on game day. My mother finally had to pin a note to the back of my shirt that said "Do Not Feed".
Dad took me to my first game when I was five years old. I remember crawling all over the peeling wooden seats in the south end zone and Dad buying me a small UT flag.The band was really interesting to me but the game was an afterthought. The game was against Auburn and we won 3 to 0.
My real fondness for UT football began on the radio.Those fall Saturdays spent playing in the leaves and listening to Mooney describe Faircloth,Glass and Wantland were special.
I can't recall the year but the game was against Alabama. It was a rainy day and Tennessee lined up to kick off when a Tennessee fan ran onto the field and took his place on the front line. He had a trenchcoat on along with a hat and a bottle of bourbon in his hand. The UT players stood there like that was the most natural thing in the world but the cops felt otherwise apparently. Out came two fat cops and one relatively fit. When they were about to corner him at the line he took off towards the north goal. All the laughter changed to a tremendous roar as he raced ahead of the police through the Alabama players towards the endzone. The younger cop was tantalizingly close and grabbing at his flying coattails when this guy scored. He then leaped into the stands and the fans gathered him up and would not let the cops up to get him. It was the best run of the day...and the loudest cheer.
miamiVOL writes:
what a pic!
rockytop47 writes:
My first game was in 1984 with my dad when Tony Robinson scored the two point conversion to beat Alabama, Oct 20. It was amazing! Sadly I also witnessed our last loss to Kentucky that year! But that Bama game was incredible. GO VOLS!!!!
TommyJack writes:
Fritter: I was there too, but you were so drunk, I could hardly see you...
hmhawk writes:
ladyVolsEightTimes--I salute your father and son.May God watch over the latter.
burntorangeVOLffle writes:
WhiningLikeHeck - "Florida called and said they would like to rename the field "Spurrier Field" considering he has a winning record on it and all."
Serious question: Do you like anything about TN football?
PennVol writes:
My first game was the Ole Miss homecoming game in 1972 with my Dad. I was 8 years old and life has never been the same since. We went the following week to the Kentucky game. For one of these games, it was pouring down rain and Dad bought scalpers tickets that were "under the overhang". Yeah, right. They were in the old bleachers in the North end zone. We were soaked!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Dang, nafslov! Did Larry Seivers steal your girl or kick your dog or something? Seivers was one of the greatest receivers ever to wear the Orange, made All-SEC and All-America teams and held UT receiving records for years--maybe even still holds some. He may not have been the fastest or the strongest, but he had the hands and guts to make some catches that defy explanation. Your constant derision is irrational. Please either explain why you are so down on one of the all-time Vol greats or give it a rest!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I attended my first game at Neyland Stadium in 1958. I don't remember who the opponent was, but it may have been Auburn. The next year I became an usher, when I was 12 years old, and continued that all through high school. I then was a student at UT through the 1968 season. I missed a total of two home games during that stretch because of miserable cases of the flu--the 1959 Billy Cannon LSU game and the 196(?) game with Alabama that we lost 11-10 in a driving rain. Unfortunately, I WAS there when we lost to Chattanooga. All in all, a lot of great memories from those days!
snod51 writes:
First game was against Auburn in 1991. My group of 7 friends had NO tix. We pooled our money together ($20/ piece) and I was volunteered to ask the gate attendants to turn his head. The 1st gate I came to, the usher told us to come back in 20-30 minutes. I went to every other gate and was turned down. Got back to the original guy, he said all he wanted to see was our backsides. I've never run so fast in my life...we won that night...one of my greatest memories. That night was up to that point the biggest attendance in Neyland's history
(97, 731) For several years my buddies always joked about it really being 97,738. Looking forward to more good times.
volboy81#211803 writes:
Ive been following UTFB since the mid 60s and never, ever remember hearing it called "The Snake Pit" as ggriggs939 stated....also Billy Ratliff didnt cause Stoerner to fumble...he fumbled when he lost his footing after being stepped on by a teammate, then put his arm, which was holding the ball, down to balance himself. Billy did recover the fumble and Travis did the rest!..also Packaway, Billy Cannon was just elected to the HofF for the SECOND time...last time, his election was recended before his induction due to his gambling, extortion, jail term, etc. I guess that doesnt matter anymore...
johnlg00#206211 writes:
volboy81, IIRC, Ratliff may have caused that fumble as well as recovered it. He may have been the one who knocked the Arky lineman back into Stoerner. All the rest of what you said was correct. Since Arky was trying to run out the clock, the linemen should have been going forward, in which case they wouldn't have gotten tangled up with Stoerner unless they were knocked back by our D-linemen. Ah, yes; how pleasant to remember the days when our D-linemen actually DID knock O-linemen back on occasion rather than the reverse, which has been all too common lately.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Sorry, ggriggs! You said the same thing in the very first post on this thread! Didn't mean to hog your credit! I actually DO read the previous posts before writing my own--guess I just had a "senior moment"!
TommyJack writes:
Gen. Fritter: Well, you can't be too careful.
LiveFaith writes:
The Good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good. One of the best memories was the flag thrown on the kickoff that Peerless Price ran back for a TD against Bama in 98'. Shaun Alexander had just turned the momentum with a 37yd TD. A crazed Bama fan friend had given me tix that year. He taunted me with joy after the flag fell at about the 30 and the crowd moaned once again. Penalty on AL-A-BAMA as Ward said, and the place went bezerk.
The Bad. Seats at the 50yd line to watch Dan Marino maul us in the late 70s or early 80s. Wow, "he is like a man among boys" I told my friend.
The Ugly. "I have this friend" story :-\ Uhhh this "close friend" was visiting the stadium in the summer of 1985. "He" and a UT student went up into the old press box which only had one door entering from the north side then. "They" looked around on both levels and then began to leave. As "they" left, about 20 recruits and coaches (no Majors BTW) came in the side door. After they were all inside, the two lodged a metal chair under the handle out side that door, effectively locking them all inside. The two sprinted as fast as possible down the upper deck and out onto Neyland Drive. To this day "they" blame themselves for weak recruiting that year. Is the statute of limitations up yet?
TommyJack writes:
Gen. Frit. I was in skewl then. Man, I'm old.
Nuthinbutorange writes:
My first game at Neyland was the aforementioned LSU game in 1959. I was 12, and Neyland was the biggest place I'd ever seen in my young life. I recall a bunch of LSU fans sitting behind us. They drank quite a bit of bourbon, got mouthy as the game wore on, and ultimately got escorted out of the stadium after they threw their empty bourbon bottle at the cheerleaders below us. I still remember how beautiful a day it was, and how exciting that stop on Cannon was. I suppose that's why Neyland Stadium will always be a magical place for me. I still think of my dad when I have a chance to see a game with my own kids.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
I guess my favorite memory is watchng the Fla FG skew away. I know its the loudest I ever heard Neyland.
Volfan1 writes:
I guess we are just a bunch of old coots, remembering highlights from yesteryear, but it sure beats the snot out of all the negativity on most of the other columns.
Thanks for the great posts!!!!!!
I have enjoyed reading these.
And yes, Larry Seivers was UT's version of Raymond Berry.
Volfan1 writes:
Seivers made several highlight catches. Thanks General for your memory of a not so well known catch. Everyone knows his catch against Clemson for the 2 point winner. Don't forget his catch against Vandy in the back of the end zone getting a foot in bounds. Nor his TD catch for the game winner in the Liberty Bowl vs Maryland (and Randy White). Not to mention his spectacular catch against Auburn for a TD with two or three Tigers guarding him.
Volfan1 writes:
Most fun game in Neyland in person - Six overtimes vs. Arkansas. Had tickets on the goal line, nine rows up. I don't know why they did it, but all six overtimes were played on our end. It was like having 50 yard line seats.
Not fun game in person - 9-6 vs Bama in 1990. We had a squad of NFLers get beat by an average team. I like Majors, but his game plan was AWFUL that day. I was living in B'ham at the time and got tickets from a Bama fan in the Bama section. They were saying before the game that they hope we didn't beat them too bad. I wish.
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